


the thing with feathers

by poseidon



Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Fluff, Gen, Getting Together, M/M, Minor Chirrut Îmwe/Baze Malbus, Minor Leia Organa/Han Solo, Post-Rogue One, Pre-Rogue One, Team as Family, love is stealing the death star plans so your future bf can blow it up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-30
Updated: 2016-12-30
Packaged: 2018-09-13 10:54:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9120529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poseidon/pseuds/poseidon
Summary: Or, how Cassian Andor learned how to say, "May the Force be with you."





	

He's arguing with Senator Mothma when he first meets her.

"Andor, you _have_ to accept this," she says, voice insistent.

"I'll accept the promotion, but not the medal," Cassian replies. "I do like the sound of it - _Captain_ Cassian Andor." He grins when he sees her resist the urge to smile and watches her cross her arms.

"I don't understand what you have against recognition," she says. "It wasn't an intelligence mission, surely you can accept the praise just this once.”

“I don’t need it, ma’am,” he says. “Just the satisfaction of a job well done is enough.”

She sighs. “Cassian…”

“Senator…” He waggles his brow and she finally lets out a slight laugh. Her gaze locks on to something behind him and he whips around to see – _her_.

“Oh, there you are – Leia, come over here,” Mothma gestures her over and turns back to Cassian. “Leia, this is Captain Cassian Andor. Andor, this is Princess Leia Organa – she’s going to be helping out on some of our intelligence missions now.”

“Intelligence missions, huh?” Cassian strokes his chin thoughtfully. There’s something youthful about her, something innocent, something one doesn’t see very much of in a rebellion like this – but there’s something under that, something sharp and steel. “Are you sure you’re up for that?”

“I’m pretty sure I am,” Leia replies, the barest hint of a smirk playing on her lips. “If I wasn’t, would I be here?”

“That is an excellent point,” Cassian laughs. “Very nice to meet you, Your Highness. I wish I could stay for longer but I do have some maintenance to perform on my ship.” He starts to turn around, then pauses midway and looks back at her. “Just some quick piece of advice before I go – no matter what they tell you, _always_ take your blaster with you.”

Her smirk turns into a grin and she nods. “I’ll keep that in mind, thanks.”

He shoots her a quick wink and starts walking away, though not before hearing Mothma say, “You’ll find that many of the officers of the Rebellion like to think they’re the funniest person on this moon.”

(Mothma knows, though that unless they fill the idle moments with mundane jokes and small talk, then they’ll be filled instead with impending doom and the looming feeling that they’re all going to die. It’s an occupational hazard.)

Leia laughs, light and playful. “He’s cute though, isn’t he?”

He walks a little faster back to his ship.

* * *

The next time he sees her, she looks a little less out of place. That youthful glow is still there, certainly, but it looks a little hardened. He wonders what she’s been doing, what she’s seen, what’s made her change, ever so slightly.

“Your Highness,” he smiles, climbing out of his ship and heading toward her. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Pleasure’s all mine, Captain,” she smiles, though it quickly dissipates, to be replaced by a firm expression. “I recall that when we first met, you recommended that I carry a blaster with me at all times.” She crosses her arms. “I’d like you to teach me how to use one.”

Cassian blinks. “ _Me_? Teach _you_? How to use a _blaster_?”

“You know, there’s a chance that one of you will accidentally shoot something and destroy the entire base,” K-2SO pipes up from inside the ship.

“Go back to fixing the comms, Kay,” Cassian shouts back with a roll of his eyes. He crosses his arms and leans back, regarding Leia carefully. She holds his gaze, as even as possible, and eventually he smiles. “All right, Your Highness, I’ll train you. Meet me outside in half an hour – and bring a blaster.”

“Where am I going to find a blaster?” she calls after him as he starts to turn away.

“Ask.” He shoots her a wink and climbs back into the ship, where K-2 is standing by the door expectantly.

“She’s a princess,” it says.

“Yes, she is,” Cassian replies casually. He heads over to the comms and starts fiddling with the machinery, trying to look busy. “Can you hand me that over there?”

K-2 hands him the toolkit. “She’s a princess,” it repeats, “and you’re messing with her.”

“I’m not messing with her, I’m _helping_ her,” he replies. “Besides, if I _was_ messing with her, I’d have good reason to do so – who knows why she joined this Alliance anyway. She can do plenty of work in the Senate. If I was very concerned she is here to play savior and not prepared to deal with the repercussions of being a rebel, then I’d mess with her to see how devoted she is to our cause.”

“And so helping her practice shooting has absolutely nothing to do with everything you just mentioned?”

“… Just watch the ship while I’m gone.”

* * *

Leia’s right where he asked her to be, half an hour later. She’s standing straight, looking around, with a blaster awkwardly in her hands. He’d laugh at the sight if he weren’t trying to help.

“Nice to see you, Your Highness,” he greets as he walks over. “Got a nice blaster there.”

“Thank Lieutenant Melshi – he gave it to me,” she says. “Where are we headed?”

He doesn’t respond, gesturing her along as they make their way to a nice clearing out in the woods. The targets are all set up, just as Sefla said they would be, and Cassian makes a mental note to thank him. “All right, here we are.”

Leia raises a brow. “What exactly are these?”

“Targets,” Cassian says. “Your job is to shoot the spare droid parts on those crates.”

“All ten of them?”

He shrugs. “Well, not necessarily. As many as we need.”

“All right.” She takes a deep breath and starts shooting. And whatever doubts Cassian had about her commitment are more or less quelled as he watches her shoot and miss and shoot and miss and shoot and shoot and shoot and miss and miss and – oh, and she hits that one.

“I think that’s enough for today,” he says after a while.

Leia looks at him, face set in a determined frown. “I haven’t hit all of them yet.”

“We can try again tomorrow,” he suggests. “Too much practice in one day isn’t good for anyone. We should get back to the base.”

“The base is just down that path, right?” she asks. When he nods, she heads over to the box of spare parts and starts setting them up again. “You go, I’ll be there soon.”

Cassian blinks, then smiles. “All right, Your Highness. I’ll be seeing you.”

“Captain Andor,” she calls out after him. She waits for him to turn back. Her blaster is hoisted over her shoulder and her hair is loosening from her tight braids. “Thank you.”

“It’s no problem,” he replies, and turns to leave.

“You’ve been gone a long while,” K-2 says when he comes back to the ship. “What happened?”

“Nothing,” Cassian says. “I just taught her how to shoot.”

K-2 gives him its version of an unimpressed look and Cassian can’t help but laugh.

* * *

“So,” Melshi says, during those rare moments they’re both in the mess hall together, “I hear you’ve been spending a lot of time with the princess.”

Cassian takes a long sip of his drink. “How much time is a lot of time?”

“You’ve been taking her out the past couple of days for target practice,” Melshi points out. “And K-2 tells me you two have a mission together soon.”

_Damn that droid_ , Cassian thinks to himself. He pretends to chew thoughtfully on his food before swallowing and responding, “People go on missions together all the time. You and Sefla go on plenty together.”

“Sefla isn’t a princess.”

“No, that’s you, isn’t it?” He laughs as Melshi pretends to throw his drink at him. “But seriously, we’re just practicing together. She’s… nice to be around.”

Melshi nods, his scepticism blatantly obvious. He grabs his tray and starts to stand, before pausing. “So – you’re both single, right?”

Cassian flicks some of his food at him and rolls his eyes as Melshi leaves, listening to his laughter fade away into the rest of the noises from the hall.

* * *

Their mission is simple – she’s the distraction, he’s the assassin. They do their jobs well.

(Before it starts, she says to him, “Don’t tell me what you’re going to do. Unless I absolutely have to know what’s going on, don’t tell me. Even if I ask. I… I don’t think I want to know what you have to do.”

Cassian exchanges a glance with K-2 and nods. “I won’t tell you.”)

They’re on their way back, cruising through hyperspace, and she clears her throat. “I hear you don’t accept any of the medals given to you.”

“I don’t,” Cassian confirms.

“Why not?”

“Because.”

“Because what?”

Cassian turns his chair and faces her. “Because I don’t want one.”

“Why not?” she asks. “Don’t you want to be remembered for your contributions to the Alliance?”

Cassian can’t help but scoff, a smile playing on his lips. K-2, beside him, lets out a mechanical groan. “Oh, great, you’ve gotten him started.”

Leia furrows her brow. “Started on what?”

“People like us don’t get remembered,” Cassian says. He leans forward, slouched over and on eyelevel with her. “We’re foot soldiers, minor pieces in the bigger game. We’re dispensable, easily replaceable, but it’s not for the glory – it’s for the cause. Everyone who’s here knows that – especially those of us in intelligence. If you’re remembered for your work here, then you’re not doing a very good job of it.”

“So the people who risk their lives – they don’t get remembered?” Leia asks.

“Everyone is risking their life,” Cassian corrects. “It’s just that some play a bigger role in the Alliance than others.”

Leia pauses, deep in thought. “Who’re the type of people to be remembered, then?”

“The leaders, of course,” Cassian answers, leaning back into his seat as he thinks. “Everyone on the council, for certain – the senators, your father, the directors, the admirals. The big brass, as some would say. None of the lower officers or privates, really, not unless they do something big.”

“And get a medal for it?” Leia asks, smirking. She crosses her arms. “None of that answers my initial question, though – why don’t _you_ want to be remembered for your contributions?”

Cassian thinks about it for a moment. He could be honest. He could tell her that he himself doesn’t want to be remembered, that he’d like everything he’s done to fade into distant memory so he doesn’t have to think about it, that there are times when he’s so ashamed of what he’s done for the greater good that he wonders if it’s even all worth it even though he knows it is. That he doesn’t think he deserves to be remembered as a hero.

“The medals don’t look good on me,” he says, and smiles when she laughs.

They land and she’s about to get off, when she turns back and says, “There’s another thing I wanted to ask you, Captain.”

“Call me Cassian,” he replies. “What is it?”

“You don’t seem to have many friends – other than K-2SO and a few of the lieutenants, that is.”

“Thank you for remembering me,” K-2 says while Cassian does his best not to look shocked. He clears his throat. “Excuse me, but I have _plenty_ of friends – Melshi, Selfa – I could go on.”

“Being friendly and having friends are two different things,” she points out. “You go on missions alone, you rarely eat with anyone in the mess hall, you usually sit around your ship and do maintenance – _I_ could go on.”

He crosses his arms. “I have friends, Your Highness.”

“Just think about it, will you? And please, call me Leia.” She winks as the doors open and climbs out, leaving Cassian to stare into empty space. There’s a long moment of silence.

“I like her,” K-2 says.

“Of course you do,” Cassian mumbles, but there’s a wide grin on his face as he goes to deliver his mission report.

And that’s the start of their friendship. It only gets greater from there.

* * *

"Why don't you ever say 'may the Force be with you' before I leave on a mission?" Leia asks him as they eat lunch by his ship.

Cassian shrugs, mouth full of food.

"Is it one of those classic Cassian Andor quirks or are you one of those people who don’t believe in the Jedi or the Force?”

“Can’t it be both?” he gives her a playful smirk and she slaps the side of his arm. He hasn’t told her anything about his past – not yet, maybe not ever – but it’s nice to sit and talk and pretend that past doesn’t exist.

Still, before every mission, she still tells him, “May the Force be with you.”

* * *

“That Jyn Erso girl is pretty attractive, don’t you think?” Leia says, waggling her brow.

Cassian rolls his eyes. “It doesn’t matter how attractive she is – once she leads us to Saw Gerrera, she’ll probably run off and go back to the life she used to have.”

“Doesn’t mean you can’t have some fun,” Leia counters, and laughs when Cassian lets out an exaggerated groan.

“Why don’t you come along with us, then, if you’re so eager to have fun with this girl?” he asks her, crossing his arms and giving her a look.

“I’d love to, really, but Senator Mothma and I have some business to discuss about the Senate.” She starts to walk away. “Bring her back in one piece and then we’ll see what happens.”

Cassian laughs and watches her go, before heading back to his own ship.

* * *

“I guess you couldn’t convince Her Highness to come along with us, huh?” Melshi asks as they start to pack weapons in the stolen Imperial ship.

“Leia wanted to, of course she did, but she has her own secret mission,” Cassian replies, lifting up a couple of blasters. “These enough?”

“Should be fine, I’m guessing,” Jyn says. She gives them a curious look. “Who’s Leia?”

“Cassian’s girlfriend,” Melshi says with a smirk, laughing when Cassian elbows him.

“We’re just friends,” he tells Jyn, who raises her brows and fails to hide her growing smirk.

“If that’s what you say,” she hums. She takes some of the blasters from Cassian’s arms and walks away with Melshi.

“Why does no one believe me when I say that?” he grumbles quietly.

“It’s because everyone always says that,” Baze points out helpfully as he leans against Cassian’s ship. “It’s not a very convincing phrase.”

“I believe you, though,” Chirrut adds. He scratches his chin. “Leia Organa… was she the one who –”

“Yes, she was,” Baze says.

Chirrut nods, then grins. “You have good taste in friends, Captain Andor. Your friend – she is very strong with the Force.”

“Yes, she believes in the Force and the Jedi and whatever else,” Cassian replies. “I already know all of that.” He gestures them along. “Come on, to the other ship.”

Chirrut sighs and takes Baze’s arm. “I don’t think he quite understands what I’m explaining.”

Baze shrugs. “Just let him figure it out on his own. He’s not a dumb man.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment, Baze, thank you,” Cassian says, and lets out a slight laugh.

* * *

There’s not a quiet moment between Scarif and Leia’s kidnapping and the destruction of Alderaan and the rescue of the Death Star plans – and it’s all Cassian can do just to keep himself upright and keep _breathing_.

There’s a calm before the storm as the Alliance is preparing to attack the Death Star. They’re in the infirmary, he and the rest of the crew of Rogue One – like they’ve been since the Battle of Scarif. Galen still hasn’t woken, Bodhi is still recovering from the grenade blast, Jyn still can’t sit upright, Chirrut still has a small hole in his chest, and K-2 is still mostly bits and pieces of circuits –

But. But they’re alive. They’re still alive. So many have died and yet they’re here, alive, and able to see the fruition of their efforts finally come into place.

”How do you think they did it?” Bodhi asks. “Rescue the princess, I mean. She was – she was in the Death Star, right?”

“I suspect they did it the same way we did,” Jyn says. She turns to Bodhi and smiles. “With a tremendous amount of luck.”

“And the Force,” Baze chimes in. “Or so Chirrut would say, if he were awake right now.”

Bodhi manages a weak chuckle and smiles back.

“I’m going to see if there’s anything I can do,” Cassian announces, standing up slowly.

“Are you sure?” Bodhi asks, frowning. “You got hurt pretty badly, Cassian.”

“I’ll be fine,” Cassian says. “You all are more hurt than I am. Just rest up, I’ll be right back.” He looks around and while everyone seems reluctant, no one stops him, and he heads right out.

He’s walking around, looking to see if he can find Leia and talk to her, when he sees _him_. He’s heading to his X-Wing, followed by Leia’s old astromech droid, and there’s something about him that causes Cassian to stop and just stare at him.

“His name is Luke,” Leia says, and she walks up beside him. “Luke Skywalker. He’s one of the men who came to save me.”

“I’ve heard whispers about him,” Cassian says. His eyes are still on him. “He’s the Jedi, isn’t he?”

“Indeed he is.” He can hear the smirk in her voice. “Do you believe in the Force now?”

“I never said I didn’t.” He looks away and turns to her, expression filled with concern and sympathy. “Leia, I heard about your father – your entire _planet_ – and I –”

She holds up her hand. “Not now, Cassian. Please, just… not now. Right now, I need to focus on this mission – and _you_ need to go back to the infirmary and rest.” She pushes him away and he reluctantly goes off, giving her a small wave.

“What’s the situation out there?” Jyn asks when he comes in.

“They’re all heading out in a bit,” Cassian says. He sits down in his bed and clears his throat. “But I, uh, I did see that Jedi.”

“ _Jedi_?” Chirrut suddenly sits up and starts looking around. “Is he in here?”

Baze glares at him. “Were you _pretending_ to be asleep this whole time?”

Chirrut gives him a grin and everyone else in the room laughs.

* * *

He gets to meet Han and Luke officially, only after Leia’s run off with her new girlfriend, and they barge right into his quarters right after his shower.

“All right, Captain, tell us where Leia and that Verlaine kid went,” Han says, crossing his arms and glowering at him.

“I have no idea where she is.” Cassian runs a hand through his hair and looks down at himself, still shirtless with only his trousers on. “Um, could we continue this interrogation once I’ve put on some clothes?”

“Fine, fine,” Han huffs. He turns to Luke. “Kid, you stay here, I’ll go and talk to the droid.”

“But you’re bad with droids,” Luke says, but Han completely ignores him and barges out anyway. Luke turns back to him and looks apologetic. “Sorry about that – he’s a little… well, he’s upset that right after we rescued her, she’s left.”

“I thought he wouldn’t mind, considering he’s already been paid,” Cassian says, then smirks. “Unless, of course, he’s upset about something more than that.”

Luke raises a brow. “What do you mean by that?”

Cassian laughs. “Never mind,” he hums. He heads to his closet and puts on a shirt, feeling Luke’s eyes on him. He turns around and smiles. “Right, so what’re the questions you have?”

“Uh, we – we just wanted to know if you had any idea where she could’ve gone,” Luke says. “I’ve, uh, heard you two are very close.”

“Yes, we are,” Cassian nods. “But, well, you’ve met Leia, you must know how she is – stubborn to a fault. If she gets something in her head, then she’s going to go through with it, no matter what anyone else tells her.”

“That sounds like her,” Luke chuckles. He clears his throat. “I should go find Han and help him out with his investigation.”

“And I need to help dismantle the base so we can start moving,” Cassian agrees. “I’ll see you around, then.” He brushes past Luke and starts down the hallway when Luke calls out after him.

“Captain Andor,” he pauses a moment, “you were one of the men who stole the Death Star plans from Scarif, right?”

Cassian nods, smiling. “Indeed I am. And please, call me Cassian.”

“Cassian,” Luke repeats. He smiles back. “Thank you for that. If you guys hadn’t been there, then, well, I wouldn’t have been able to blow up the Death Star.”

“That’s what they were for,” Cassian hums. He gives Luke a small wave and walks away.

“Why are you smiling so widely?” K-2 asks him, when he meets up with everyone else back at the ship.

“No reason,” Cassian shrugs. He just can’t seem to stop.

“I don’t see a reason to smile,” it snaps. “That Han Solo character interrogated me endlessly about the whereabouts of Princess Leia. As if I would have any idea.”

“Han Solo?” Jyn says. “Isn’t he the hot smuggler who rescued the princess from the Death Star?”

“Hot-headed, more like,” K-2 mumbles.

“Have you seen his ship?” Bodhi asks. “It looks like the whole thing is about to crumble in on itself – it’s a miracle it can still fly.”

“He sounds like my kind of man,” Jyn hums thoughtfully.

“He has his hearts set on someone else,” Chirrut says. “His relationship with her reminds me a little of me and Baze.”

“Everything reminds you of us,” Baze counters. “You pointed out two droids the other day and said, ‘Look, Baze, it’s us!’”

“Well, they did have your banter,” Bodhi muses.

“I think it’s nice, either way,” Jyn says. “Romance is a rare thing to find. Unfortunately, everyone here is unavailable, in some way or another.”

“Boy, do I feel that,” Cassian sighs.

“Should I tell them?” Chirrut loudly whispers to Baze.

Baze sighs. “I’m not helping you play matchmaker, Chirrut.”

“You were more fun on Jedha, Baze.”

* * *

“So they just barged into your room while you were shirtless?” Leia asks, making no attempt to stifle her giggles. “I can’t believe it.”

“Your friend Han seemed convinced that I somehow knew where you’d run off to and were keeping your location a secret,” Cassian says.

“Well, you were,” she points out.

“Yes, but I didn’t want him to know.”

She laughs loudly and shakes her head, taking a small sip of her drink. “It’s nice to know that they both do care about me and the cause, even when I wasn’t there.”

“I think Han cares a little more about one than the other,” Cassian says, raising his brows. “If you get what I mean.”

“You can’t be serious,” she chuckles. “Have you heard the way he talks to me?”

“That, Your Highness, is flirtatious banter.” He gives her a wink and grins.

Leia rolls her eyes. “If that’s his way of flirting, then he’s going to have to get better at it fast, if he wants me interested. Maybe he should take some lessons from you.” She pauses and smirks. “Luke’s very cute, isn’t he?”

Cassian spits out his ale, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “I, uh, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Come on, he’s been _raving_ about you ever since he walked in on you,” she says. “Says you’re funny, kind, humble, all sorts of things. Blushes, too, whenever we walk by your quarters.”

“I…” Cassian licks his lips and tries again. “He, uh, does have a nice smile.”

Leia’s grin looks almost menacing, and Cassian just knows she’s never going to let him live this down.

* * *

“Captain Andor!”

Cassian looks up from his toolkit to see Luke heading over. He wipes his hands on a towel and smiles. “Luke – I’ve told you, you can call me Cassian.”

“Right, sorry,” Luke says, blushing ever so slightly.

_I’m absolutely fucked_ , Cassian thinks, and says, “What can I help you with?”

“I just wanted to congratulate you on your latest mission,” he smiles. “You and K-2 did a really great job finding that missing agent.”

“Thank you – I’m sure Kay would’ve loved to hear that,” Cassian smiles back. “I mean, it’s just a lot of luck and hope and some skill, when you have missions like this.”

“It also helps when you have the Force on your side, doesn’t it?”

“Yes,” Cassian says slowly. “The Force. Right.”

Luke looks at him for a moment. “You don’t believe in the Force, do you?”

“It’s not that I don’t,” Cassian admits. “it’s just that I don’t think it really helps outside of cool tricks the Jedi can do in battle.”

“Cool tricks?” Luke repeats. “So you think me using the Force to destroy the Death Star was just a cool trick?”

“No, of course not,” Cassian says quickly. “I think that you destroying the Death Star was due to your incredible skill as a pilot and the fact that you didn’t need the guidance system is a testament to that.”

“Oh,” Luke says. He lets out a slight chuckle. “I’m not sure whether to be insulted or complimented.”

“I meant it entirely as a compliment,” Cassian assures him.

“Well. Thank you.” He clears his throat. “I’m not letting you off the hook though about how you don’t believe in the Force. I’ve gotten Han to say ‘may the Force be with you’ and I’m certain I can get you to say it too.”

Cassian gives him a sideways grin. “I accept your challenge, Luke, and look forward to it.” He watches Luke walk away but the smile stays long after.

“You’re grinning,” K-2 points out when it returns. “Why are you grinning?”

“No reason,” Cassian says.

* * *

“I saw you grinning at Luke the other day,” Jyn says as she seats herself at their usual table in the mess.

Cassian shrugs, as casually as possible. “I don’t know what you mean by that.”

“Leia told me everything,” she says. She folds her hands under her chin and looks at him. “So, is it true that you’re interested in him?”

“I’m not going to answer that,” Cassian replies.

“That’s answer enough,” Baze grunts and Jyn nods in agreement.

“Luke is a good kid,” Chirrut chimes in. “I approve of your choice, Cassian.”

“You only like him because he’s a Jedi,” Baze says.

“So? What’s not to like about that?”

“I agree with Chirrut,” Bodhi says. “He’s a good man, Luke. He’s helping me fly an X-Wing and, well, he’s a genuine nice guy.”

“Are you sure my father isn’t getting jealous?” Jyn jokes.

“I thought you didn’t like me talking about that,” Bodhi says.

Jyn shrugs. “Just because I don’t like you talking about it, doesn’t mean I can’t make jokes about it.”

“That’s – that’s _exactly_ what it means!”

“Why don’t we ask Galen himself?” Chirrut says.

“I’m sure he’ll agree with me, his daughter,” Jyn says, at the same time as Bodhi says, “I’m sure he’ll agree with me, his boyfriend.” They stare at each other for a moment, and then it’s a mad dash to get out of the hall and head to the science labs, with Chirrut following them and Baze at his heels.

Cassian abandons the rest of his food to go after them. He does want to see how this ends.

* * *

He sees Luke walking through the hangar one afternoon and he’s already heading over to him when he sees it. Wedge Antilles, with his arm around Luke’s shoulders.

Cassian thinks his world goes red for a whole minute when Luke notices him and rushes over. “Hey, Cassian! How’re you doing?”

“I’m – I’m doing well,” Cassian says, trying to sound normal and not at all affected by… whatever emotions he’s feeling. “What about you two?”

“Oh, Wedge and I were just doing some drills,” Luke says. He looks over at Wedge and smiles. “He’s a great pilot.”

“Oh, I know I am,” Wedge laughs. He leans over and ruffles Luke’s hair playfully. “But Luke’s pretty good too, I’ll give him that. He’s been teaching Bodhi lately and while neither of them are a match for me, they’re definitely better than some Imperial TIE fighters I’ve seen.”

“The Empire won’t know what hit them,” Luke grins. “What about you, Cassian, what’re you up to?”

“Oh, me?” Cassian blinks. “I’m just… going to see… Galen Erso… for some… science project. Excuse me.” He clears his throat and starts walking away.

“I’ll see you around,” Luke calls out after him, and Cassian barely manages a nod.

Galen looks surprised when Cassian walks in, as he rightfully should. He puts away his holopad and sits up. “Cassian, what a surprise. Come in.”

“Don’t mind me, I just want to sit here for a bit,” Cassian says. He takes a seat at one of the tables and sets his elbow down, resting his head on the palm of his hand for a couple of moments before speaking again. “Galen, do you mind if I ask you a personal question?”

Galen shakes his head. “Not at all. What is it?”

“When did you know you were in love?”

There’s a long moment where Galen doesn’t say anything. “Well, it was different both times,” he says, voice careful and thoughtful. “With Lyra, it was – you know the phrase ‘love at first sight’?”

“It’s not an uncommon phrase, Galen.”

“That is a good point,” Galen nods. “But that’s what it felt like. When I first met her, I knew this was the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I knew she was the one.” He pauses and leans back in his seat. “With Bodhi, it was different – more slow and gradual. We were strangers, then grew to friends, and then I thought about how nice it was to see him and talk to him and, well…” he trails off with a smile. “Here we are.”

“I see,” Cassian says slowly.

“You know,” Galen says, smile going from lovesick to mischievous in less than a second, “I have been told about you and a certain Jedi on this base.”

Cassian holds his head in his hands and lets out a groan.

* * *

“I don’t think Luke is interested in me,” he tells Leia.

Leia takes a sip of her ale and raises a brow. “Are you kidding me? You’re the only thing he ever talks about.”

“I saw him the other day with Wedge,” Cassian explains. “He had his arm around Luke and he was ruffling his hair and –”

“And you were incredibly jealous?”

“Yes – I mean –” Cassian lets out a long sigh and decides to drain his glass instead of protesting. “No point in arguing – everyone already thinks they know about how much I’m interested in Luke.”

“Cassian, I think you should relax a little,” Leia hums. “What is it that Chirrut always says – all will be as the Force wills it?”

“Something like that.” He lets out a sigh and shakes his head. “You know, Luke is still trying to convince me of the Force.”

“Of course he is,” Leia chuckles softly. “You never told me, you know, why you don’t say it.”

“Yeah,” Cassian says softly. “It’s… it’s a long story, actually. And I’m not sure if I want to tell it just yet.” He thinks back, back to things he doesn’t want to think about – because that’s what Leia does, she challenges him, makes him change himself for the better – and he goes back to the first time he killed a man when he was six years old and the Separatists told him what a Jedi could do.

Leia notices something and she pats the top of his head and kisses his cheek. “We don’t have to talk about it, Cassian. Let’s move onto something else.”

“Yes, something else – let’s talk about you and Han Solo.” He starts refilling their glasses and watches the blush rise in Leia’s face.

“Well, he’s… he’s very brash and bold,” she says after a moment. “And sometimes it’s very frustrating, talking to him, but…”

“But?”

“I think I’m going to need a lot more of this ale if I’m going to talk more about him.”

Cassian laughs, and between the two of them, they finish an entire bottle.

He’s walking back to his room – well, more like stumbling back – when, all of a sudden, Wedge comes up to him. “Hey, Cassian!”

Cassian leans against a wall and tries to look as sober as possible. “Hello, Wedge Antilles. Do you, uh, need anything?”

Wedge shakes his head. “No, I just wanted to let you know – I’m very friendly with all my friends, and that’s all Luke is. Just a friend, nothing more.” He looks around before leaning closer. “I have, however, heard about him and you and, let me just say, all he ever talks about is you, so I’d say your chances are pretty good.” He gives him a wink and waves a little before leaving.

_Huh_ , Cassian thinks. _Maybe Leia and Chirrut have a point after all about the Force…_

Then he wonders who _doesn’t_ know about him and Luke.

* * *

He’s leaning against his ship, watching Chirrut talk with Chewbacca across the other end of the hangar, when Han Solo walks over and stands beside him.

“Captain Andor,” he greets, gruff but with the air of forced causality.

“Captain Solo,” Cassian hums.

“All right, let’s cut right to the chase,” Han says. “I hear you’re interested in Luke.”

Cassian resists the urge to groan. “Who _doesn’t_ know about this?”

“Wedge and I have a pool set up with the other pilots,” Han admits. “Don’t worry, we’ll give you your cut once it’s said and done.” He clears his throat and looks at him. “I just want you to know – I like this kid and so does Chewie, and if I hear that you’ve hurt him in any way… well…”

He gestures across, to where Chewbacca has just ripped apart a defective protocol droid. Beside him, Chirrut is hunched over in laughter and Baze is covering his face with both of his hands. Cassian would find it funnier if he didn’t realize he was supposed to be the droid.

“Okay, I think I get your point. But,” he turns back to Han and gives him a subtle smirk, “I am very good friends with Princess Leia, and if you even consider hurting her – well, let’s just say that whatever happened to Director Krennic doesn’t have to be a one-time thing.”

Han coughs awkwardly and looks away. “Who – who said anything about the Princess? If you ask me, she’s just a royal pain in the ass who can shoot pretty good sometimes.”

Cassian chuckles. “I’ll set up a pool for you and we’ll split the difference?”

Han lets out a sigh. “All right.”

Cassian pats Han’s shoulder and they look out in the distance, watching K-2 come by and give a horrified gasp at the pieces of dismantled droid on the floor. It’s more than a little funny to watch when it realizes what had happened.

* * *

“Cassian!” Luke runs over to him, a wide smile on his face. “Hey, I haven’t seen you all day.”

“Hey, Luke. I was just helping some engineers give K-2 some imbedded weapons,” Cassian explains. “He’s been complaining about having to hold a blaster and losing the use of an arm during battle.”

“I wouldn’t mind having a blaster for an arm either,” Luke says, grinning when Cassian lets out a laugh.

“No, that would be immensely useful,” Cassian hums in agreement. He looks at Luke and, well, he can’t help it. He just starts smiling. “Have you eaten yet? Do you want to get some lunch together?”

Luke gives him a bright smile and nods. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

The mess hall is, surprisingly, devoid of any of his friends. Maybe they’d spread the word and decided that he wouldn’t make a move with all of them watching – which is a good assumption to make.

They sit across from each other, eating and talking and laughing, and for the briefest of moments, Cassian wonders if he’s somehow asked Luke out on a date.

“You know,” Luke says, picking at his empty plate, “I’ve heard that everyone used to be a little less… lively, back before the Death Star was destroyed.”

“That’s true,” Cassian agrees. “The destruction of the Death Star was a physical manifestation of all our efforts toward this rebellion. It showed us that everything we’ve been doing hasn’t been useless.”

“And before this, you thought your efforts had been useless?”

Cassian shakes his head. “No, before then, we’d been going on blind hope,” he explains. “And when the Death Star destroyed Jedha City and the Scarif base, well… we lost some of that hope.” He looks up and a small smile plays on his lips. “But then you showed up, like the sun on a rainy day, and you gave me – you gave _us_ hope.”

The tips of Luke’s ears go pink and he gives a shy smile. “Come on, I’m not _that_ impressive.”

Cassian laughs and shake his head. “I really think you are – you’re an excellent fighter and a damn good Jedi and – and you’re a nice person. And when you’re around… I feel like we have a chance.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Cassian says, voice suddenly quiet. He hadn’t realized how small these tables are, how close his face is to Luke’s. He can see each individual eyelash and the bright blue of his eyes. He’s beautiful. “You do… give me hope.”

Cassian’s pretty sure he moves in first because one minute he feels Luke’s breath in the air between them and the next he has his lips against his and his hand is clutching the back of his head and they’re kissing like no tomorrow.

Luke kisses back with all he’s got and Cassian really couldn’t ask for more than that. It’s all he wanted, really.

They pull apart after a few moments, oblivious of the world around them, until he hears the distant buzz of a comms piece. Luke pulls his out and gives Cassian an apologetic look. “It’s – I have to –”

“I understand,” Cassian says. He sounds out of breath. How long were they kissing for? “Go ahead.”

Luke nods. He licks his lips. “Would you – could we – get dinner, or something, when I come back?”

Cassian can’t keep the grin off his face. “Of course.”

Luke grins back. He gets up and starts walking away when Cassian calls after him. “Luke!”

He turns around. “Yeah?”

“May the Force be with you.”

**Author's Note:**

> You can tell where this went from potentially gritty drama about the rebellion to a fun rom-com where everyone tries to hook them up.
> 
> If you are also interested in this pairing, hit me up on my [tumblr](http://poeorgana.tumblr.com/)!


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